


Acquaintances

by AussieWriter1



Category: iZombie (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-04-27 10:12:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5044351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieWriter1/pseuds/AussieWriter1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set directly after the end of 2x03 'The Real Dead Housewife of Seattle'. Liv gets an unexpected visitor to her home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acquaintances

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so this isn't a romantic fic, but more of a 'I was upset at the lack of Blaine in the episode and so I came up with this' kind of story. Hope you enjoy :)

Liv stood behind the counter in the kitchen, still staring in awe at the lovely birthday cake in front of her. She was trying to wrap her head around what this meant. Did Peyton miss her? Did she want to talk to her? Or did this have a deeper, more secretive layer? Or, more likely, was the upper-class, high strung woman in her brain over-analysing this small gesture? Yeah, probably that, Liv mused as she took another sip of her alcohol.

Glancing around, the silence of the apartment hit her in full force. There were no papers left lying around, no case files that Peyton would sift through absentmindedly before she went to bed most nights. To anyone else, there would be no evidence that anyone else had recently lived here, other than her and her new roommate. But to Liv, signs of her best-friend still lingered everywhere she looked. The way the DVDs next to the television were meticulously organised in alphabetic order. The blinds that had to be the perfect pattern, and the best colour to match the other furniture around the room. Liv laughed softly as she remembered the struggle that had gone into finding those curtains, and all the half-hearted arguments they had had. But ultimately, Peyton had won out. That was the moment Liv knew Peyton would be the most successful lawyer alive.

Sighing and completely lost in her nostalgia, Liv almost didn’t hear the knock on the door. Thinking it was Gilda, who had rushed out to buy her a present with the conviction that “somewhere still has to be open”, Liv moved gracefully over to the door. 

Liv laughed as she swung it open. 

“That was fast! What, did you settle for the cheap … stuff?”

The zombie felt the bottom drop out her stomach as she took in exactly who it was that was standing on the threshold of her home. 

“Blaine?!”

“Hey sister.”

The grin on the former-zombie’s face widened as he took in Liv’s shocked expression.

“Sorry to drop in on you unannounced, but I was in the neighbourhood, and I thought I should catch you up on the search for the tainted Utopium.”

Blaine’s words drifted casually across to Liv’s patient ears, yet she almost didn’t catch any of it. Her brain was still processing the fact that he was here, standing before her like nothing was wrong. Didn’t he realise that everything was wrong?

“How-how do you know where I live?” Liv’s grip on the door tightened.

“Uh ..” Blaine gazed nervously at the floor before lifting his bright blue eyes to meet her own. “Intuition?”

Liv scoffed, tempted to simply slam the door in his face. But his words about the Utopium plucked her interest, so she decided to play along for now.

“Right. How did you really know? Hang on -“ Liv felt the realisation slam into her with full force. “You followed me home one night, didn’t you!?”

“No! Well, yeah.” Blaine’s tips twitched upwards slightly, before he regained control once again. “It was after that night, you know, the one where you shot me?”

“I vaguely recall it.” Liv’s tone was colder than ice as she glared the man down.

“I thought about getting revenge. I thought about- Well, it doesn’t matter. I stopped myself. Like I told you before, I’m a changed man. It all started that night.” Blaine’s eyes didn’t quite meet her own throughout his story, so Liv wasn’t inclined to believe it was the whole truth. Still, there was no point in pushing it. She was stronger than him now, and could defend herself expertly if the need arose. 

Opening the door further, she gestured towards the living room. Blaine stood still, however, hesitating at the entrance. Frustrated, Liv tossed her hands up and walked back towards her kitchen, throwing her words over her shoulder.

“Well? Are you coming in or not?”

Blaine stepped in carefully, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Liv watched him as he observed his home. The part of her brain that resided in her stomach was itching to point out how well his jacket matched his jeans, but Liv pushed those thoughts down. It was straight down to business so she could get him out of her home as soon as possible.

“So, you were saying something about the Utopium trail?”

Blaine swivelled around to face her, standing on the opposite side of her breakfast bar. 

“Yeah. So I traced the tainted sample I had at the boat party, and found a few more cases similar to it, all near the same time as the party. I’ve got a meeting with a guy tomorrow that should be able to point me in the right direction of our cutting-man, provided it’s not actually him.”

Liv followed his story with a sense that something was again being hidden. He was supposed to be changed, yet he still kept in close enough contact with his old buddies to arrange meetings and learn new information. Whatever, the rich section of Liv’s brain scoffed. It wasn’t important right now. She stared at Blaine, waiting for him to continue. When it was apparent that they were simply engaged in a staring contest, Liv raised her eyebrows.

“Is that it?”

“Is that it?” Blaine looked offended. “You can’t rush these things Liv. Push too hard, ask too many questions, and the wrong people start getting interested. The wrong people start coming to you with faux information, trying to trick you into rolling down a road with bandits waiting on the side. Yeah, that’s it, for now.”

Liv rolled her eyes as she took another sip of her drink. Just as she was about to conclude the conversation and ask that Blaine leave, the former-zombie spoke.

“What’s this?” Blaine asked, looking down at the cake sitting between them. “Huh, you didn’t tell me it was your birthday.”

“That seems to be the catchphrase of the day.” Liv cast her eyes down bitterly. If she didn’t want her friends to know, there was no way she was happy with her enemy knowing. It didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, Liv knew, but it still stung. It was a private bit of information she guarded closely, sharing with those she felt comfortable with. The fact that Blaine DeBeers of all people now knew when her birthday was sent a cold shiver down her spine.

“Well, I regret I don’t have anything on me to give you. Sorry about that, but happy birthday nevertheless.” 

Liv was shocked to see what appeared to be a genuine smile grace the man’s face. It was the first time that had happened since, well, ever. Every time she had met him, his smile had been faux, full of secrets and smugness that she really, really wanted to punch away. But this time, of all times, it appeared to be real.

“Thank you.” Liv replied hesitantly, not exactly sure where this turn in conversation was heading.

“Wait.” Blaine held a finger up, his smile spreading into a grin. “I think I do have something you might like. Hang on.”

As fast as Liv blinked, Blaine was gone. She heard him open and close the door, and if she strained herself, she could hear the pounding of footsteps on the stairs of her apartment building. Not sure whether or not she should be scared or excited, Liv downed the rest of her drink and placed the cup in the sink, needing to do something before she exploded with anxiety. It couldn’t be something bad, could it? Surely he wouldn’t do that. 

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Liv scoffed again, this time at herself. Of course he would, he was nothing but a lying scumbag who was only helping her in order to help himself.

Wringing her hands together, Liv took a deep breath as the door once again swung open and closed. Blaine came around the corner, face slightly red and holding a small container in his hand. Liv felt a pinch of jealously as she observed the blood hiding just below the skin of his cheeks, as if it was rubbing his humanity in her face. Shaking herself mentally, she stared resolutely at the container Blaine was now holding out to her.

“Here you go. Happy Birthday.”

Taking the package carefully, Liv popped open the lid. The delightful smell of fresh brains wafted gently into her nostrils as she looked down upon the small, pink lump of flesh.

Slightly confused and very overwhelmed by the scent, Liv glanced up at Blaine inquisitively. 

“The guy came in today. And by ‘came in’ I mean wheeled in, of course. His wife told me how healthy he was, how full of life.” At this, the pair’s eyes locked, understanding passing through quickly. “Apparently he was always positive, full of energy. I was planning to save it for a special client, but I think that you could use that more than them.”

“Thank you.” Liv’s voice was slightly higher than a whisper, unable to completely capture the gratitude she felt. She hoped that Blaine understood, and by the way he smiled and nodded, Liv knew that he did. Looking back down, a thought sprung quickly into her mind.

“Hang on a second…”

Placing the container down carefully, Liv ignored Blaine’s confused expression as she turned and grabbed a knife and a second container from a couple of cupboards behind her. Her lip twitched up slightly as she noticed Blaine jump slightly at the sight of the knife. He relaxed however, when he realised what she was doing.

Carefully, Liv cut the brain in half, and deposited one side into her container, leaving the other sitting in Blaine’s. Clicking the lids back into place, Liv held Blaine’s container out to him, surprised to find a small smile creeping onto her face.

“Here you go. For that special client.”

Blaine’s expression was a perfect mix between confusion and gratitude.

“Thank you.”

At that, both parties fell silent, unsure of what to say next. It appeared as though neither wanted the exchange to end, but didn’t know how to continue it. After a few moments of shuffling feet and awkward glances, Blaine spoke again.

“Well, I should get going then. Don’t want to intrude on your special night. Thank you, again.” Blaine began to move towards the door.

“I should be thanking you.” Liv replied as she followed him.

“No need. I’ll be in touch soon with more information.” Blaine turned as he reached the threshold. “A pleasure as always, Miss Moore.”

Liv smiled, nodding towards the man that wasn’t exactly her enemy, but was far from being a friend. Struggling to pinpoint what they had become, Liv found her mouth moving by itself as Blaine turned to leave.

“Blaine?”

“Mm?” The man turned, slightly confused.

“Be careful.”

Blaine laughed, delight sparking brightly in his eyes.

“Always am Liv.”

Liv watched him turn again and begin to descend the stairs. She closed the door after she could no longer hear his footsteps. Walking back into the kitchen, she felt her mind stop resolutely on a new term for their relationship.

Acquaintances. Yeah, that sounded good.

**Author's Note:**

> And fin. Aha I hope you enjoyed reading this little one shot, and please let me know if there was anything off or any constructive criticism you might have. Thank you! :)


End file.
